Kuznetsov was asked about that matchup, and he gave a classic Kuznetsovian response.

“We must play, although you understand teams’ levels are not equal,” he said. “I constantly met the same guy at the faceoff spot. I saw he just couldn’t win the faceoff no matter what. I told him, ‘Put your stick over mine at the faceoff.’ He heard me and did so. He managed to win a couple of faceoffs. Saw him smiling happily during the game after that.”

Kuznetsov is known for his sense of humor, so the reporter’s follow-up question of “Are you serious?” was understandable.

“Sure, why not?” Kuznetsov replied. “Other people were teaching me this way when I was younger. Why not helping others?”

Honest, wholesome and yet bold all at once. The requisite joke some Capitals fans would make here is that Kuznetsov needs a fellow NHLer to give him some faceoff pointers; the centerman drew criticism at points during the 2018-19 campaign for only winning 41.3% of his draws. But that can be improved another day.